PhilHealth, pharma firms sign MOA on Type Z discount

By Niña Corpuz, ABS-CBNnews.com

Pharma companies to give as much as 80% discount for PhilHealth Package Type Z (catastrophic diseases)

MANILA - "Sapat na ang bayad ng PhilHealth."

This was the message of PhilHealth President Eduardo Banzon as the government health agency formally entered into an agreement with 11 leading pharmaceutical companies to greatly reduce the cost of drugs for catastrophic illnesses under the PhilHealth Z benefit package.

As much as 30-80% discount will be given by the pharmaceutical companies for medicine and drugs to treat what the PhilHealth has identified as catastrophic illnesses under Package Z.

Under the Z-benefit package, these illnesses are:

childhood Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia with a benefit cost of P210,000;

early stage Breast Cancer (stage 0 to III-A) at P100,000 for the entire cost of treatment;

Among the many drugs that will be given a discounted price is docetaxel (generic name) used for chemotheraphy. The original price is P40,000 per vial but with an 83% discount by Sanofi, PhilHealth will get it at P7,000 per vial. A patient usually needs 4-6 vials for chemotherapy.

The huge discount packages given by the pharmaceutical companies will enable PhilHealth to take care of a patient's entire treatment unlike before when they only pay for partial treatment.